I began a journey more than a year ago….all I knew was that I was going to be in the middle of a large public event that the area was phenomenally unprepared for. Five years ago I intended to just ignore the rest of the world and enjoy it for myself, but when you have the time and talent to make a difference….shouldn’t you?

Well, so. I felt that I could not actually just sit on my hands, that I was called to do what I could. In the old Testament, ignoring a call can get one in trouble. Not wanting to have to get carried to Ninevah by whale, I decided instead to answer the call to inform and inspire as many as I could. Begin by traveling to conferences and workshops. Make connections. Gather information. And slowly, to get in front of people with a message: On August 21, 2017, we’ll watch the Sun disappear in the middle of the day. With hundreds of thousands of friends. We want everyone to see this!

A year later, we stand only a few short weeks from the Great American Eclipse. I’ve traveled thousands of miles while ending up at home. Spoken to schools, civic groups, park rangers, libraries. And for the most part, had a great deal of fun while doing it! Has it made a difference? I think so. I could wish for a small army to be doing likewise, but as it is slowly there are more people who see the potential in this amazing natural event. There’s really no downside to that. Like all outreach, when it’s good it is very good. You see the light bulb moment, the “aha!”, in this case “oh my gosh!” as they see the Sun directly for the first time.

I have more roads yet to traverse, like running a race I want to make sure that in the end I’ve done as much as possible. I’ve made some great friends, some great connections….and I have a feeling I won’t be able to just walk away from this in 54 days. Although like any good prophet, I intend to retreat to the wilderness to recharge. But the joy of showing off the universe will remain. The sky is available to everyone, you just have to be reminded to look up…and thus look out.

But right now I can almost feel the shadow of the Moon bearing down on us, sweeping us up in the dance of the Earth, Moon and Sun. I’ll be just one of millions gaping at the dark noon sky. Enjoy!